VITAS Healthcare's Kids Camp Brings Joy to Grieving South Florida Children

VITAS Healthcare was proud to host a large group of grieving children and teens for the fifth consecutive year at Camp VITAS on April 8-9, 2016. The grief camp, which reached full capacity, was funded by VITAS’ fifth annual Music-Thon Fundraiser held in late December 2015 at Palm Beach Gardens Mall in Florida.

Pictured is VITAS’ Music Therapist, Thomas A. Dalton, LMHC, MT-BC, at Camp VITAS—a free, overnight camp for children and teens who have lost a loved one—held in early April at Camp Owaissa Bauer in Homestead, Florida. Working as a music therapist for 20 years, Dalton works with hospice patients and their families, and has helped children and adults use the power of music to help transform their lives.

VITAS Healthcare, the nation’s leading provider of end-of-life care, with assistance from the Fort Lauderdale Children’s Theatre, helped children and teens learn new ways of coping with grief through acting, dancing and collaborative play performances at Camp VITAS, a free overnight camp held on April 8 - 9, 2016 in Homestead, Florida.

Camp VITAS—held on April 8 and 9 at Camp Owaissa Bauer in Homestead, Florida—combined traditional camp activities, including a nighttime campfire where children sang songs and played music using traditional and nontraditional instruments, such as buckets and drumsticks, to express their feelings of grief. Led by VITAS Music Therapist Thomas A. Dalton, LMHC, MT-BC, the group of young adults sang and danced the night away while in a safe and therapeutic environment.

Grieving children and teens in South Florida were invited to Camp VITAS, a positive and healing overnight camp in Homestead, Florida where VITAS’ skilled music therapist, bereavement specialists and theatre experts gathered to offer grief support. Pictured is a special balloon release ceremony that honored loved ones who have died.

In early April 2016, VITAS Healthcare, the nation’s leading provider of end-of-life care, gifted children and teens with a fun-filled weekend on their journey through grief at Camp VITAS, a free overnight grief camp infused with positive messaging.

VITAS Healthcare, the nation’s leading provider of end-of-life care, knows that grief can have a profound effect on children. For five consecutive years, VITAS has provided a safe environment for children and teens to come to together to learn to express their grief through traditional camp activities and the expressive arts.

Traditional camp activities, including hayrides, swimming, hiking, volleyball and basketball made for a memorable weekend at Camp VITAS held on April 8 and 9, where children learned new ways to cope with grief through the guidance of VITAS’ skilled bereavement team in South Florida.

Outdoor activities that included hiking and the exploration of Florida’s exotic and lush terrain added to the therapeutic release of grief for children and teens who attended Camp VITAS, a free overnight grief camp for children who have suffered the loss of a loved one.

Fresh nutritious food was provided and prepared by compassionate volunteers for children who participated in an exhilarating weekend at Camp VITAS, April 8 and 9, where children learned new ways to cope with grief.